Vintage
Hmmmcamu's post introduces a vintage 1973 Bulova Deep Sea 666 Feet Diver Chronograph, Variant B, providing a detailed description of its distinctive features. This thread serves as a valuable reference for enthusiasts interested in vintage dive chronographs, highlighting the watch's unique design elements and historical context. The author's meticulous description ensures that the watch's specific characteristics are well-documented for the community.
JB Champion USA bracelets were widely used by major watch brands in North America during the 1950sā1970s. They were manufactured for brands such as Omega, Rolex, Bulova, and Accutron, often serving as original equipment. The bracelets were especially famous for being worn by NASA astronauts on their Accutron Astronuat and Omega Speedmaster cal. 321 watches during the Gemini, Apollo, and Skylab missions.
The Bulova Deep Sea 666 Feet represents an intriguing chapter in American watchmaking during the early 1970s, when dive watches were transitioning from military tools to civilian sports accessories. Bulova's entry into the professional diving segment coincided with the brand's broader push into mechanical complications, leveraging their established reputation in precision timekeeping to compete with Swiss manufacturers in the growing recreational diving market.
This chronograph variant showcases the technical ambitions of 1970s Bulova, featuring a bi-directional rotating timing bezel with orange and black segmentation for enhanced underwater visibility. The chocolate brown dial with contrasting yellow subsidiary registers creates a distinctive aesthetic that reflects the era's bold color preferences. The cushion-shaped case construction and prominent crown guards demonstrate period-correct design language, while the stated 666-foot water resistance rating positioned this as serious diving equipment rather than merely a sports watch.
Today, these Deep Sea chronographs occupy a specialized niche within vintage diving watch collecting, appealing particularly to enthusiasts of American horology from the pre-quartz crisis era. The model's relative scarcity, combined with Bulova's historical significance as a major American manufacturer, has generated steady collector interest. While not commanding the premium of contemporary Swiss dive chronographs, examples in good condition represent accessible entry points into serious vintage dive watch collecting, especially for those drawn to the distinctive design vocabulary of 1970s American watchmaking.
It looks to be in incredible condition and that doomed crystal is just insane, it really is a piece of history and a great looking divers watch. Marc
I'd have to see the bracelet close up.
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